PSA Can Now Predict Treatment Success and Survival Period In Advanced Prostate Cancer
August 29, 2006 by Gloria Gamat
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
According to a new study conducted by the Southwest Oncology Group led by researchers from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, a man’s PSA (prostate specific antigen) level not only detects prostate cancer but also will help doctors when treatment is working.
The PSA level after seven months of hormone therapy for advanced prostate cancer can predict how long a man can survive.
The said study, which evaluated 1,345 men with metastatised prostate cancer, treated with seven months of androgen deprivation therapy (a treatment designed to block the effects of hormones on the cancer), found that men whose PSA dropped below 4.0 ng/ml had a quarter the risk of dying compared to those whose PSA was more than 4.0.
According to Maha Hussain, M.D., professor of internal medicine at the U-M Medical School and lead author of the study:
“Our analysis showed that a low or undetectable PSA after seven months of androgen deprivation therapy is a powerful predictor of risk of death in patients with new metastatic prostate cancer.
This could allow oncologists to identify patients who are unlikely to do well with this treatment long before they develop clinical signs of treatment resistance.
PSA is a test used to initially detect prostate cancer. This test measures the level in the blood of prostate specific antigen (PSA), an enzyme produced by the prostate gland.
Now PSA is an easily measurable factor that can predict survival in metastatic prostate cancer. These new findings in the abovementioned study could help patients avoid ineffective treatment and could help researchers design further trials.
This study was reported in the Aug. 20 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
For more information about prostate cancer, call U-M’s Cancer AnswerLine at 800-865-1125 or go to U-M’s prostate cancer page.
Source: U-M Health System
This is very good because starting to treat the illness in time can prolong somebody’s life. It is a pity one of my neighbors died of this.
That’s sound scary if without the predict treatment. Being diagnosed with cancer can be frightening. But understanding what’s going on inside your body can help you be aware of what’s causing your feelings of anxiety.
It is interesting to note that a chap’s PSA can now predict treatment success and the expected survival period in cases of advanced prostate cancer, following 7 months of androgen deprivation therapy.
It’ll be even more interesting, to me at least, to see if similar results are possible following a similar period of holistic therapy, and without medical intervention.
My recent PSA dropped from 7.4 down to 6.9 just 6 weeks after commencing my own therapy. A pleasing result no doubt but as to the reason for it, well, the jury is still out on that one. Only time will tell….